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Broken Times: Soran's Days
Note: The contents of this article are the author's own rendition of the ancient times in the Fairy Tail manga. The following is neither canonical nor does it claim to be. Merely the author's own effort in painting a picture of what the world was like over 400 years ago with the addition of his own characters, factions, etc. Anything and everything has to start from somewhere. Whether it's a noble house or a legendary personage, they had to start from somewhere. Many times, contrary to what some think, the beginnings are meager. This is the tale of Soran Vista, of his early days. Life The sunflowers swayed gracefully with the summer breeze. Back and forth, as if in a harmonious symphony with the forces of Mother Earth. High above, the great sun glared over the peaceful countryside. The landscape was lovingly lush and fertile, evidence of the livelihood of the area. Birds soared over the trees in their own serene fashion. An area not yet ravaged by the technological advances of man, it was nature at its' fullest potential. On a narrow dirt path lining a large bed of sunflowers, a man walked peacefully. His hair swayed with the winds of summer, spiky, jet black hair that was long like a Lion's main. Strapped to his back was a sizable war fan. He crossed his arms behind his neck as he glimpsed upwards at the blue sky. It was a nice day out, he liked that. He would of hated to have gotten rained out, but luckily nature was on his side today. He heard a soft growl. "I'm starving like hell, " He thought, gripping his stomach. Truth be told, he wasn't broke at all. The problem was he got a little lost. Luckily, he found his way back on the path. This young man's name was Soran, and he was just another guy with a need for some grub in his stomach. To his left flank, he could see an array of majestic, snowcapped mountains. Even in summer, the snow at their peaks did not melt. The thuds of footsteps snapped him back into reality. A young woman walked past him. Soran was surprised to see a spear in one of her hands, but there were always women who lived their lives as exceptions to the rules. Her hair was chestnut brown and her face was worth staring at, at least in Soran's book. Still, he kept on his way. However, he couldn't help it. One more look would help him seal the deal on his opinion of her. "What could one more peek hurt?" Soran thought to himself, amused. As he turned, he was met with a glare that could be make a baby cry. A cold drop of sweat ran down the side of his brow. "Looking for something?" She asked sternly. Soran noticed the young woman's grip on her spear tighten. Soran forced out a laugh and a smile to match. "Nothing at all, I thought I....dropped something, " Soran said nervously. He quickly turned around and picked up the pace as he walked off. ---- A smug smile crossed Soran's face as he caught a whiff of grilled meat in the air. He had just entered a small village. Around him, kids were playing in the streets as the hoots and hollers of venders advertising their food echoed through the air. Soran chuckled when he saw a small girl helping her grandmother sell sweets. However, he needed to get some real food in his stomach. Street food wouldn't cut it. "I need to find a tavern, " Soran thought as he looked side to side. His eyes fell on an elderly man selling medical herbs. He nodded to himself, a doctor is bound to know a god place to get some food. He waltzed up to the old man, who was currently waving his bagged herbs to passer-byers. He had a strangely patterned navy cloak with an odd hat to match. The man turned towards Soran. "Oi, old man. Where is a decent place to around here? Preferably somewhere with beer, " Soran asked. "Long day, eh?" The old man replied. Soran sighed, he usually can't stand people who beat around the bush. "Listen, I just need somewhere to eat and drink in peace. Some good meat and beer that doesn't taste like piss." The old herb doctor smiled at the comment. Soran inwardly shuddered at the sight of his missing teeth, which was the majority of them. "It's a wonder that he gets no business, " Soran pondered in disgust. The old man set his herbs back on the cart behind him and whipped around back towards Soran. He coughed softly as he stuck his finger in Soran's face. "This is problem with you young people. Anything and everything is rushed, such nonsense, " He remarked. His voice was hoarse far as Soran could tell, he figured it would be best not to piss him off and make his day any worse. "Anyway, just head to old Darza's Tavern, it's down the street from here. You can't miss it, " He said, grinning. Soran arched an eyebrow, "Why can't I miss it?" Now he was wondering if he was heading somewhere he shouldn't. "Don't worry, you'll know when you get there. It's nothing troubling, boy, don't worry. Plenty of good ale to wash down the food there, " He added. "Thanks, " Soran replied quickly. Soran was about to turn away when something important came to mind. "Hey, are there any mages in this village?" He asked calmly. The old man gave him a questionable look. Soran wasn't sure the question had came out right. "Mage?" He asked, confused entirely. Soran sighed, "You know, magic users?" Soran could tell the question wasn't getting through as the old man all but fumbled through his thoughts to grasp what the young man before him even meant to begin with. If life has taught him anything in his short life, Soran knew visual examples worked best no matter where you went. He held his finger up, eye-level with the aged man. A small spherical flame enveloped it suddenly. It had no more intensity then the flame of a candle. The man's eyes widened at the sight. "That is what you meant, we don't get many of your....kind around here. Sorry, I don't know, have a nice day, youngin, " He replied, turning back to his cart. He shuffled through his supplies. Soran narrowed his eyes at the man, he wasn't expecting such an odd reaction. It was worth dwelling on though. He shrugged and turn towards the direction of this so-called Darza Tavern, something like that. He walked down the town's dirty street. As he got closer, he noticed a giant triangular structure on the roof. It read "Darza's Tavern", furthermore, under it read, in smaller text, "Get while it's hot and hasn't rot." Soran sweat dropped at the very sign. The carpentry work was awful, just a bunch of wooden planks poorly nailed together. He now knew why he couldn't miss it, it was almost funny in its' own weird way, almost. It mattered little in the end, however. He just wanted some decent grub. ---- Soran quietly stepped into the establishment, looking for the nearest and cleanest table that was free of people. To his left, he saw a seat near the fall wall. He quickly made a bee-line towards it and took a seat, setting down his gunbai leaned against the table. The interior was rather nice for a tavern. Strangely enough, he saw no men wreaking of beer, horsing around. Everyone was being pretty civil, Soran decided to keep how strange it seemed to himself. A young woman clad in light colored garments with a hair net to match stepped towards Soran's table. He flashed her a smile, time to order. "What can I get you" She asked. Soran set the menu down, he had no use for it. "All I need is a steak and alot of beer, " Soran replied, folding his hands under his chin. She suddenly turned away from Soran, and cupped the side of her mouth with her free hand. "Miss, we got another one!" She shouted. Soran arched an eyebrow, not sure what was going on. "You see, sir. We're down to one barrel of beer and we don't give a whole barrel to customers. A lady not too long ago made a similar request as you, Long story short, you two could share it; split the cost 50-50, " She added nervously. The waitress as Soran pondered on what to do. She could tell he was a bit annoyed. Soran stood up and grabbed his Gunbai. "Alright, fine, lead me to this lady, " Soran said. "I hate sharing food or drinks with people, it's like we're competing in who gets the most." He followed the young woman as she led across the restaurant, squeezing by other customers. Soran ended up in front of a door way to a private room, there was a simple curtain in the place of the door. Soran really hoped this person was the crude type towards others. He pushed one of the curtains sideways and entered into the room. Upon entering, he felt something spark inside him. The desire to kill himself. A smug smirk crossed the face of the woman before him. Soran shook his head as he took a seat across from her. "What are the odds, " Soran muttered to himself. It was none other then the same woman from earlier today. She set down her cup. "We could do the math and find out, " She taunted. The waitress bowed to them as she quickly stepped out of the room. "Seriously though, I wasn't expecting to be sharing this room with the guy that was staring at my ass." He wasn't sure how to approach this, he could tell she was having fun with this. Soran, on the other hand, felt like slapping himself a few times, a few hundred times. "Well, enough about you staring at my butt. What's your name, anyway?" She asked, sitting back against the wall. The setting were of the eastern variation, which entailed a low table and no chairs in the very small private room. Soran wasn't a big fan of it, but he dealt with it. He took a sip of his drink before setting it down. "Isn't it the lady who introduces herself first? At least, so I've heard, " Soran replied, smirking. She smiled at the remark, this was getting interesting. "Alright, smart alec. My name is Elena, Elena Catanza" Soran found the name rather pretty, but there were even more pretty things to ponder on. Soran found himself staring at Elena's luscious lips as they moved. He was paying no attention to what she was saying. Her full lips only added to her beauty. Suddenly, Elena waved in face. "Earth to smart alec, I asked you a question, " Elena said loudly. He snapped back into reality. She sighed, "Is that your weapon, I asked. Not often do you see anyone use a Gunbai as a weapon." Elena couldn't stand when men acted a fool, she knew he was daydreaming about god knows what. Soran looked over at his Gunbai, which was leaning on the wall. On the other side of the table, leaning against the wall as well, was this ''Elena's spear. "My main weapon, mind you. I use others. But it's all I needed for this trip, " Soran remarked. He went for another drink as Elena gave him a weird look. "Trip?" Elena tilted her head in question. "Okay, before that, what's your name?" She asked curiously. Elena found herself actually interested in this stranger. She wasn't sure why though. Soran set down his cup and looked his lovely drinking companion in the eyes. "Soran Vista, " He said plainly. Elena chuckled for a moment. Soran arched an eyebrow at the outburst. "Did I say something funny, Elena?" She shook her head in disagreement as she composed herself. " Vista, that's a funny name, " Elena mused. Soran rolled his eyes, he failed to see the joke in all of this. Elena edged forward in seat towards Soran. She wanted some answers. "What's this trip, you were talking about? Are you on a journey, Soran?" Elena asked intently. Soran nodded his head in agreement, the conversation was getting interesting. Elena was getting interesting to him. Attractive, tough, and smart with her words, he hadn't made good conversation in a long while. "Yes, I'm on a journey of sorts. Been traveling the west side of this continent for about a month now, " Soran said, reaching down for his cup. Elena folded her hands beneath her chin. "What do you seek?" She asked plainly. He set down his glass of beer and watched as the liquid swished around as a result. Soran always liked it when people could make more then just small talk. He looked up at Elena. "Nothing in particular. If anything, I'm advancing myself in anything and everything essential. Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose, " Soran said slowly. Elena narrowed her eyes at him, she figured he wasn't a normal person. Still, he was a nobody. "Are you well known around your native region, Mr. Vista?" Elena asked. He shook his head quickly. "There's helpless old ladies with more fame then I. I'm just a normal guy. Why, do I look like someone with a reputation?" Soran asked. A soft smile crossed Elena's face. " Not exactly. But if we're talking looks, I'll you one thing. I don't any man my age with hair like yours. Your hair is longer then mine, man, " Elena said laughingly. She stifled her laugh, trying to keep it in. Normally, Soran didn't take insults about his hair. He loved his hair, he loved the length. But he could make an exception this ''one ''time. "Haha, you're so funny, " Soran retorted calmly, " Anyway, I don't know anything about you, care to share?" Elena massaged the front of her throat, holding in a laugh was so hard. "I'm a mercenary, actually. In times like this, it's one of the only jobs that has a steady line of work. Unless you luck out in birth like those nobles, " Elena said. Soran could sense an air of disgust in Elena's words with that last statement. Though she was right, finding work these days was hard if you couldn't fight. Given his own home growing up was a shithole, he was obliged to side with her on this. Though he didn't hate anyone for it. The curtains to the room suddenly opened as the young waitress from before stepped in. In both her hands was a steaming hot plate. She set them in front of Soran and Elena. Taking up most of the plate was a lovely looking steak, along with some potatoes and some kind of pasta. The waitress quickly walked off before he could even say thank you. Soran set his fork down. "Elena, do you have issues with nobles? I mean, I never knew luxuries growing up either but there's a saying about misplaced hate. It just drags you down, " Soran said. Elena slowly set down her knife and fork. "I'd rather not talk about it with a stranger, no offense, " Elena replied. Soran nodded in agreement, he had just stepped over the line. "Sorry about that." ---- Elena cracked her neck side to side as he moved through the crowd around her. Tired of having that spear of hers strapped to her back, she shouldered the spear. All she had to do was make sure it didn't hit anything or anybody. She exhaled softly as she thought back to her meal with Soran. Yes, she found him interesting, to say the least. Elena had to admit the man was funny, at least sometimes. She shook her head, "I have more important things to deal with, " Elena muttered to herself. That tavern may of had good food but it failed her in her secondary objective. She continued to survey her surroundings, dodging people here and there. On her left, she noticed a sign for a bar. As she neared the front doors of the establishment, she noticed men on both sides of the street staring at her. On either side of her, pairs of male eyes followed her every step of the way. As if they had never seen an armed woman in their lives. Elena kissed her teeth at the thought, the staring was getting irritating and quick. But first things first, she needed to find information on ''that ''woman. A Crownless King Soran pushed the wooden doors before him open. He had finally found a decent inn to stay in, and the locals said the prices were pretty cheap. He looked around slowly, the place was rather cozy. The walls were decorated with old, paintings depicting things from forests to creeks. The table to the side had some old trinkets spread across it. As he edged closer to the front desk, he noticed an elderly lady reading something behind it. Soran's eyes caught a glimpse of her elven ears poking out from her long grayish hair. An elf, he had not met many in his life. He smiled, his day just got even more interesting. She looked up from her book at Soran, glaring at him through her round, thick glasses. "Looking for a room?" She asked in a hoarse voice. Soran quickly nodded, "The cheapest room you have, please, " He said, smiling softly. A loud thud caught him off guard. She opened a large book and began to go through the pages. The elderly woman quickly flipped through what seemed like a dozen pages. Soran scratched his arm in wait, he wasn't sure what to say. "I've got one room open, but it doesn't have its' own bathroom. So...make do." Soran smiled, " That's fine enough for me. I'm fine with sharing. Also, ma'am, what's your name?" Again, he was met with the old lady's glare. What was her problem? Soran was under impression that elves were very nice and peaceful people, but she unfortunately didn't fall under that. Soran sighed, generalizations be damned. "You can call me Ms. Olga, boy, " She said sternly, setting the book aside. She turned to search for Soran's room key. Olga quickly whipped around and smacked the key in front of him. "I'm gonna be straight with this kid, " Olga said, taking a seat once again, "Are you one of those damned fighters? What's that thing on your back?" Soran sighed laughingly, that was why she was giving him harsh looks. "Oh, don't worry, it's just for self defense. Also, can you try not calling me boy? I have a name, it's Soran Vista, " Soran remarked, a bit annoyed with the land lady's attitude. It was like she was just radiating her unhappiness. Ms. Olga chuckled to her self for a moment. " Listen Soran, was it? When you get to my age, you can call anyone a boy. That's what you are to me. Don't snippy and alot of men use self defense as an excuse to arm themselves...and then others along with them. These days, it's nothing but bickering, fighting, scheming, and money grubbing, " Olga sighed. She leaned forward on her chair and set her elbows on the desk. "This continent is a mess, but the ones with the worse luck is Fiore. Heh, everyone wants everything." Soran narrowed his eyes at the elderly inn keeper, the mention of Fiore reminded him a few things that she was referring to. She shook her hand at him, " Though magic users are the worse if you ask me. At least, the humans, I mean. You don't see elves making a muck of the place, do you? Actually, where are you even from, Soran? " Olga asked intently. Now Soran had to contribute to the conversation, he was content to just listening to her ramble. "Fiore, actually." Olga chuckled, though she didn't look surprised to him. " I hear that King can't even keep the weakest of the Lords in line. It's nothing but chaos, how pathetic. Hear me well when I say this, boy, a powerless king is a crownless king." Soran smirked, this old lady knew her stuff apparently. "The world's a mess, no doubt, " Soran said coolly. The inn keeper nodded her head in agreement. She kind of liked this young man before him. She wasn't sure why, but Olga found the young man somewhat interesting. "Also, one more thing, Ms. Olga. A quick question, " Soran remarked, picking up the key on desk, " Have you heard of female mage that they call the Mistress of the Wind? I hear she lives around here. Have I heard right?" Soran asked calmly. Olga stared back at Soran, they were silent for a small moment. An awkward moment. She folded her hands. " Listen, Soran, I don't mess with you mages. And yes, I can tell you're one of'em mages. But, if ya need some information on this woman, you best head to Halan's Bar tomorrow. " Olga said softly. She gestured him to head to his room as it was getting late. "Thank you," Soran said, smiling brightly. For some reason, his smile made Olga want to smile. Her eyes followed him as he made his way to the hall to their side. You didn't meet many people like that, people who can make on smile so easily. ---- Over the last two days, Soran had learned a few things, but another mental note to add to the list was never to eat Ms. Olga's breakfast porridge again, never ''ever ''again. It tasted alright at first, but even now it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. He softly yawned as he outstretched his arms. Currently, he was on his way to Halan's Bar as Olga called it. Soran just hoped that he could get some information the person he was looking for. The old lady had told him the place was just down the street, and sure enough, it was rather easy to find. Had the look of a typical bar, though it was a bit off-the-beaten-path at first glance. There was no grand sign to behold, just a fair sized wooden plank over the front door with the establishment's name written in chipped, black paint. Soran let out a deep breath as he opened the door. He could only hope this was his last stop for information. The inside was like any other bar, well, any other run down bar. There were a few patrons scattered about the place, downing jugs of ale and the like. All were men, a sad fact to Soran. It was a mystery to him on why they were getting drunk at a bar this early in the afternoon. Soran set his eyes on the middle aged man at the bar. He was cleaning glasses with a wet rag. The man was very muscular and had the facial hair to match his intimidating physique. Soran quickly adjusted his Gunbai's strap a bit with hopes that it didn't bother this man like with Ms. Olga yesterday. He took the stool diagonal from the bartender. Though Soran had a feeling that was the owner himself. He looked around for a moment, at second glance, the place was pretty empty. But that was to be expected with how early it was. Regardless, Soran figured it made things easier. "Can't say I've ever seen ya around here before. You a traveler, ain't ya?" Soran looked at the older man before him. "Yes, I am. I'm surprised to see these many people at a bar around this time, even if it's a few in reality, " Soran said. The man let out a soft laugh at the comment. Soran raised an eyebrow, he wasn't trying to be funny. "These old drunks? Ha!" He laughed, setting down a newly cleaned glass, "Don't worry, they work night shifts at their jobs, so this is just how they unwind, ya know." He said tossed the rag on the counter and turned to the line of barrels behind him. "The name's Halan Ueseph, and you? Also, what ya having? Ya look like a plain beer kind of man, " Halan remarked, filling a mug full of beer. "Sounds good, and I'm Soran, Soran Vista, " Soran answered quickly, watching Halan's every motion before setting the mug before him. "Say, Halan, heard anything about any strong people around these parts?" Halan quickly looked Soran in the eye for a moment, the conversation was taking a unconventional turn from what he could tell. He wasn't sure who this black-haired young man was, but he had an idea of what he wanted. "Ya gonna need to be more specific. Like magic users or one of'em cocky ass knights?" Halan said sternly as he got back to cleaning glasses. "The Elgecian region has got a host of folks, this is just the countryside part, Soran. " It had suddenly got a little tense between them. Soran decided it was time to cut to the chase. " Have you heard of this Wind Mistress person. The one they say dances with the wind? " Soran asked firmly. He pushed aside his mug, he wasn't interested in a drink to begin with. "I take ya mean the Mistress of the Wind, Ife? That cat?" Halan said. Soran nodded in agreement, that's exactly who he was looking for. "It's funny you say, since just yesterday anothe--" Quickly, he was cut off by Soran. "Where can I find her, Halan? I can tell you know, " Soran pressed on, not interesting in side talk. Halan sighed, part of him wanted to know why but the other half did not. "You can find her in the mountains, " Halan replied, still mindfully watching the other patrons in the bar. "But, listen. She's a strong one from what I hear. Every now and then, some guys try to head up to her and take her down. They've '''all '''failed." Soran stood up from his seat and adjusted his gunbai a bit. He had heard what he needed to hear. Time to head to the mountains. He chuckled, dropping some coins onto the counter. "Sounds like a worthwhile opponent. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll be off now, take care of yourself, Halan, " Soran said as he turned to be on his way. Halan watched as the young man waltzed out of his bar. This man, this man named Soran, didn't seem to have a worry in the world. While Halan could tell the guy was no rookie, he was a bit worried. By the end of the day he'd know if his worries were right or wrong. Halan shook his head, he surely hoped he was off the mark. The One Who Dances With The Wind The grass bent with the afternoon breeze, swaying ever so gracefully. Soran had found himself on the mountain trail en route to a promising adversary. The people near the outskirts of town had told him to simply make his way up the trail into the mountains and there he would find what he was looking for, that is, ''who ''was he is looking for. This Ife had him intrigued. Apparently, no one has beaten here around here. All around him were tall and strong trees. Soran looked side to side, observing his surroundings. Soran hadn't seen another person in a good while, though he had plenty of wild life to keep him company. The Elgecian mountains were a good place to live a secluded life. The mountains were a gorgeous backdrop, to boot. Soran smirked, he hoped this mage wasn't some odd hermit of a person. The wind ran wild all around Soran. His long, black hair followed with it to Soran's disdain. He had decided long ago to never cut his hair short, never. But it was hell when it got a little too windy outside. As he continued on his way, two figures came in sight. They were two men and the two were leaning against the massive trunk of a tree. Soran eyed their injuries, quite a few scuffs but nothing severe. "Hey!" The two fidgeted suddenly as they noticed someone walking towards them. They exchanged questionable looks with one another for a moment. Soran raised an eyebrow. He had hoped they realized that he could see them clearly as they did that. Soran stopped a few feet before the pair. "What happened to you guys?" Soran asked, stroking his chin. "Actually,first off, who are you guys? I'm Soran, and y'all? " The man on the right had long hair that was of a silverish color, while his companion had neat, short black hair. Soran tilted his head to the side as he awaited an reply of some kind. The silver-haired man shot his thumb towards his companion. " He's Herman and I'm Jethro, together we are the mighty Silver-Ebony Duo. Surely you've heard of us?" Jethro said proudly. He may of had a rough day, but Jethro had an unbreakable spunk to him. Beside him, Herman hung his head and sighed. "He's not from around here, Jethro, " Herman grunted. "Yea, I've never heard of you guys, And your friend is right, I'm not from these parts. But what do you guys do, I mean, as the Silver-Ibony Duo?" Soran asked. He needed to keep from laughing and at least give them dignity of introducing themselves fully. Suddenly Soran perked up when Jethro shot him a glare. "Silver-'''E'bony Duo, smart alec!" Jethro shouted defiantly. He would not have himself made a fool of, whether it's directly or indirectly. "If you're curious, understand we are fighters of an elite class. So, be honored, whatever your name was, " He added. Soran gave a bit of a pout face at the man's last words, he was sure he had made it clear -- "Soran", not a hard name. "Take it away, pal!" Herman shot his arm into the air and pointed to the sky. "Under the mighty sky that carpets this very land, we are a duo of great skill. Fierce as a tiger, mighty as a lion, and powerful as a dragon, we are not to messed with. Jethro and I make it our mission to challenge powerful mages far and wide...." In the midst of Herman's rambling, Soran's ears only pricked up to a few words. "Wait, so you guys challenged Ife? How did that go?" Soran asked quickly. Now he was interested. Finding the woman just got easier. The two comrades looked at each other, not sure what to say. Soran sweat dropped as neither of them seemed to have to courage to say what had happened. Soran shook his head. "You guys lost badly, huh? Well, all that talk probably made it worse for you, I'm guessing, " Soran mused. He wasn't surprised. After he found they were mages, it was pretty much a given that they were one of the many to challenge her and fail. Soran quickly gestured them to speak up. "She was a monster. Though I couldn't believe how young she was. I had heard she was an old lady, " Jethro moaned. A bit of fear made its' way into his expression. Soran could tell she gave them a serious scare along with a serious ass kicking. Herman shook his head at the comment. "And I had heard that she was some middle aged woman with a mean face. But boy, people were wrong, " He said. Soran crouched before the two. A smile was on his face, a bright one. Both Herman and Jethro failed to see why though. "I'm gonna challenge the one they called Mistress of the Wind, she's just up this way, right?" Soran's day had just gotten a bit easier. Though, he did find the discrepancies in the claims about this Ife's appearance to be amusing. She was like a monster in terms of power? The thought brought some excitement to him. "Don't do it, Zoran!" Jethro protested. " You seem like a nice guy. Don't make life hard for yourself, too many guys make the same mistake. Look how that plays out, eh?!" Both their faces made it clear Jethro and Herman's warnings were serious. He had no doubt about it. "It's Soran!" Soran interjected quickly. "Anyway, don't worry about me. She's up ahead, right?" They both nodded in response to the question. For them, they had just watched a man sign his death wish. Jethro swore he could see the grim reaper watching over Soran, just waiting. But, they were both taken aback by his confidence. The man didn't seemed worried at all, there was like an aura about him, Jethro just couldn't put his finger on it. Soran rose to his feet and turned to see the path ahead of him. It was time. Things were about to get interesting. " Well, Jethro and Herman, I'm off. Thanks for the info. If I see you guys in town later, we should grab some grub together. See you!" Soran shouted as he walked off. At this point, Soran figured that as he advanced through the mountains, he would be greeted by his coming challenge. ---- The front door to Halan's Bar slowly opened. Setting down the glass he was cleaning, Halan set his eyes on the newest customer of the day. As he realized who it was, a small smirk crossed the bearded man's face. The new guest made their way straight towards him. The eyes of the men drinking inside followed their every step. Some of them raised their glasses to the newest guest, but it was all to no avail. "Haha, ya have a way of making men want to stare at ya, " Halan laughed, picking up another dirty glass to clean. "What can I do for ya, Elena?" Elena didn't bother to take a seat as she was in a bit of a rush. She looked back at some of the men still staring at her figure and shook her head in irritation. "She's still in the mountains, right? " Elena asked quickly. Halan nodded in agreement, " Yes, but it's funny." Halan quickly set down the glass and the wet rag aside. The conversation was now taking something of a more serious tone for Elena, but Halan found the coincidence of this all interesting as he thought back to a certain black-haired man. "What's funny?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow at the question. "Just a bit earlier, a guy came in here asking for information on that woman as well , " Halan replied laughingly. "His name was uh...Soran. Yes, Soran. Very interesting fella. A charming change compared to the other ruffians that waltz in here. Aside from ya, all I get are rough drunkards...." Elena massaged her temples. She was confused. So much so, that she had no idea what Halan was rambling about as she thought on. Why was he looking for Ife? He had seemed like a peaceful guy and yet he is looking for the strongest user of Wind Magic in the Eglecian region. She hadn't known him for a fair amount of time, but he didn't seem strong to her. Elene sighed, this job was going to get more bothersome then it already was. "Soran Vista...." Halan blinked, now he was confused. " Ya know him, Elena? " He asked quickly. Halan was cut off by the sound of Elena's spear strap. She tightened it so she could get a move on and quickly. She wouldn't have any sort of tragedy on her conscious. She glanced back at Halan, " We shared dinner and some booze together, and don't give me that look. It's not what you think. " "Where are ya going all of a sudden?" Halan asked. Elena waved at Halan and threw some money on the counter. Even if it was just confirmation of past info he had given her, she didn't want to feel indebted at all to the older man. She turned and sprinted towards the exit. "I'm gonna stop him before he gets himself killed!" ---- The wind was still blowing about, and at this rate, Soran's hair could become his own worst enemy. Up ahead, Soran could see a clearing through the trees. As he came closer, he realized it was a meadow. A beautiful meadow with patches of lovely flowers of varying colors, shapes, and sizes. The wind began to blow even stronger, strong then ever before. Suddenly, Soran felt a presence approach him. It seemed he had entered the dominion of the Mistress of the Wind. Moreover, it looked like visitors were not exactly welcome. He turned to see a blonde woman glaring right back at him. Her blonde hair blew gracefully with the wind, as if they were one with another. She was far more attractive then he had anticipated. But to call her attire revealing would have been an understatement. Nevertheless, she was gorgeous. Yet, her expression didn't seem pleased. "Who are you and what do you want?" Soran smirked as he turned to face her. "Given that you easily sensed me and then found me, I take it you are the one called Ife?" He asked calmly. It had taken a while, but Soran had finally found this person. Things would finally get interesting. Ife flipped her hair, " I don't have time for fools. Many men try coming up here to challenge me and they have all failed, " Ife said sternly. "Save yourself the trouble, whoever you are." If it was possible, Soran swore her glare could burn through him. Soran sighed, " It's one thing to be confident, but that arrogant shell of yours is hazardous." Quickly, Soran whipped his gunbai from behind him and set the fan side to the ground with the palm of his hand resting on its' pole. The wind had died down ever since she stepped before him. Ife stomped her foot in anger. "You fool! That's it!" She shouted. Ife swiftly swept her hands apart. "You were warned!" As she shot her hands forward a raging torrent of wind rushed towards Soran's position. The time to fight was now. Ife could of sworn she had seen a small smirk cross Soran's face. Soran immediately swept his gunbai up as the attack approached him. In that moment, he swung it fiercely in the face of Ife's spell, batting it back and cancelling the attack all at the same time. The crash of attacks created a small burst of wind that blew in both their directions. Ife stared wide-eyed at Soran in utter shock. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had done that. Neither could she recall the last time anyone wasn't at least injured by such an attack. "He negated my attack with wind magic of his own, " Ife thought. She regained her composure and set her attention back on her interesting new visitor. Soran figured that she has not had a serious challenge in some time. "You see, you're strong, I won't deny that. But, you haven't seen real strength yet from what I can see, " Soran said tauntingly. Ife clenched her teeth at the remark. She would not let anyone make a fool of her. She began to slash her hands forward at Soran. Tearing through the ground, Ife sent huge blades of wind rocketing towards Soran. Soran dashed towards Ife, weaving his way through the huge, incoming blades of wind. Ife gritted her teeth as she saw each and every one of her attacks easily evaded. Category:Sidestories Category:Zicoihno Category:Chronicles of a Mage Category:Flashback